geepondy

Decided whether to renew AAA which I have not used and cost $94 to renew. One interesting benefit is a bicycle service of which they will transport you and your disabled bicycle up to 10 miles which mileage fees beyond that. Has anybody ever used this service? I hear horror stories thru their regular towing services of people waiting 2 plus hours for a tow, wondering if the same applies to the bicycle service? I live and generally bike by myself so this is one fear I have. When my bike was disabled last year thru the luck of the draw I was only a few blocks from a coworker who happen to be home but I just as well could have been on a back road.

Or are there other bicycle roadside service plans available?

terrymorse 

I have the AAA service, with 100 miles of towing included, and had the occasion to need the bike "towing" service on Mount Hamilton.

My rear tire had a puncture, and my spare tube blew out at the valve when inflating, so I was stuck 14 miles up a mountain road.

I tried calling AAA, but there was no phone reception.

Luckily, a Good Samaritan eventually stopped and gave me a ride to the bottom.

Moral: The service reaches only as far as your phone reception.

rumrunn6

in the past 5 years I've called for a taxi. not fun stuffing a bike in a sedan back seat or trunk. we have AAA, embarrassed to say I didn't think of AAA when I was stranded. I guess you're saying it's included w/ the regular AAA roadside plan?

FWIW the last cpl of 3-4 times me & our family members used AAA, it worked out OK. no nightmare. I'd renew it. I used to have the 100 mile tow plan but not anymore. our son needed a tow thru AAA last Saturday & he paid $45 for the tow. not horrible

indyfabz

Here is a summary from one source:

AAA Bicycle Roadside Assistance - Bike Legal (bikelegalfirm.com)

The part about not bonking made me chuckle. It is included, but how far they will drive you depends on your level of membership. And it is not available in all areas.

rumrunn6

TY! ... nice ...

There are some things AAA’s Bicycle Roadside Assistance does not do, they will not repair your disabled bike, cover bicycle storage, breaking or cutting locks on a bicycle you’re unable to access, reimbursement for an impounded bicycle, or off-road service in areas not safely passable by an emergency assistance vehicle. It also does not cover transportation due to rider fatigue. So, whatever you do, don’t ride a Century one way, bonk, and think AAA will drive you home!

Sy Reene

So.. let the air out of the tires and then call AAA?

geepondy

I've searched online and can't find any user reviews of people who have actually used the service.

indyfabz

That’s when you use your chain tool to make it look like you broke your chain.

kahn

I ATTEMPTED to use it last December. I called and was on hold for quite a while. When they did answer, they said it would take up to three hours. It would have been dark and it was already cold. As I recall, their app, which the HOLD background suggested to use for faster service did not appear to support bikes. While sitting and freezing, I finally called a friend who had to mount their bike rack. Then I had a hell of a time trying to cancel the service call. Again, the app was not useful for canceling the bike call.

I should probably follow up from the comfort of my home and see the in's and out's of the app regarding bike support.

nomadmax 

For me, there's no real value in anything that starts with a phone tree.

m.c. 

Do they send a tow truck out to get you? They have ended their mobile repair services here. They used to have a few trucks with mechanics. We've used them for minor repairs and always had good service. Now they sub it out to local tow companies. This is also how USAA does it. When my wife had a dead battery she waited hours for someone to show up. Uber might be better.

Paul Barnard

I don't know where they found that. I looked on AAA site and didn't see it.

wolfchild

The best roadside service plan that I know of is to be prepared and carry a basic repair kit.

wolfchild

Experience has taught me that carrying just one spare tube is not enough...I've taken brand new tubes out of the box only to find out that thy were defective...Personally I carry three spare tubes.

Dino_Sore

Our local AAA chapter did a big publicity campaign when they rolled out this service a few years ago. I have a Plus membership which is good for 100 miles of transportation. Unfortunately, a lot of my riding is in a neighboring county where their AAA chapter caps the free transportation benefit at ten miles. I inquired about the discrepancy in chapter mileage, and I was told that my local chapter would reimburse any additional costs incurred due to other chapters' limits.

I have never used the service, and I hope I never need to. My fear is that I will be the first cyclist in history to call AAA and will be on the phone for three hours while someone at AAA figures out what to do. Then some tow truck will show up with nowhere to put my bike except on the hook and then the bike will fall off that hook at 50mph. And the tow truck driver will be freaked out because one of those Tour de France wierdos in leotards is sitting in his truck.

Actually, about 95% of my riding is gravel or mountain bike, so if I break down it will likely be miles from anywhere accessible by motor vehicle. I think I'm screwed.

Paul Barnard

I am a basic member. I tried finding the cycling benefit on the AAA site without any luck. If you could drop a link, I'd be grateful.

Litespeedlouie

I believe the AAA bike benefit is a regional thing and some regions may not offer it. I have it in the state of Washington USA, but have never tried to use it. I've also heard that wait times for any of their roadside emergency services can vary a lot, several hours not unheard of.

https://wa.aaa.com/automotive/emerge...e-service.html